What new food & drink trends can you expect from 2019?

Liverpool’s food scene continues to delight and with new restaurants opening up across the city every month and new apps like Quandoo making it even easier to book your table we thought we would look at what else is set to dominate in the foodie world next year.

Every year, Waitrose & Partners release their Food & Drink Report, looking back at the culinary moments that have defined the past year, and predicting what we’ll be eating, drinking and cooking in the year ahead.

The report suggests that in 2018, we’ve been experimenting with jackfruit and miso, aquafaba and kefir in the kitchen, and sipping on mezcal and frosé while we do it.

But what about in 2019? Apparently, these are the areas that will be inspiring our dietary habits in the months to come…

1. Personalised health and nutrition

We’re arguably on the cusp of a revolution in AI technology – and just as that will impact our working environments, how we access services, communicate and benefit from entertainment, it’s also likely to affect how we fuel our bodies. Personalised shopping lists tailored to your individual dietary and health needs, and data fed back through highly-intelligent wearables, which will tell you how to adjust your nutrition and why, is not far off from becoming the norm.

How to get ahead of the trend: Get yourself a wearable (however fancy), now.

2. Ice cream

According to the report, supermarket ice cream sales clattered through the £1bn mark this year; apparently we can’t get enough of the stuff. Plain old vanilla in a cone just won’t cut it anymore, though. Instead, ever-inventive flavours, monster toppings and interesting receptacles (brioche buns Sicilian-style, tacos and bubble waffles) are set to eclipse the classic ’99 with a flake.

How to get ahead of the trend: Make your own – recipe collection La Grotta Ices by Kitty Travers will have you making choc ices from scratch in no time.

3. West African Food

We’re very much au fait with Middle Eastern cuisine (thanks Ottolenghi) and are all pretty much equipped to dish up an Asian style noodle soup or stir fry, but African food, particularly West African foods, are yet to hit the mainstream. 2019 will hopefully be the year we get stuck into pepper, peanut and egusi (melon seed) soups, jollof and moin moin (steamed bean pudding).

How to get ahead of the trend: Check out Hibiscus cookbook author Lope Ariyo’s recipes, and the new vegan book from Tomi Makanjuola.

4. Bitterness

We’re pretty up to speed on sweet and sour flavourings, and even umami (hence the rise in interest in miso), but bitterness is not an attribute British and Irish cuisine leans towards. That’s all about to change, however. Blame our new-found penchant for Aperol Spritz and chargrilling everything.

How to get ahead of the trend: Do as the Italians do and start experimenting with bitter winter salads that feature chicory, radicchio and cavolo nero, with a stringent dressing.

5. Inventive alcohol-free cocktails

With almost a third of 16-25 year-olds going alcohol-free, booze producers are having to step up their mocktail game – no longer will the sober ones among us be stuck with a lemonade and orange juice.

How to get ahead of the trend: Experiment with booze-free cocktails and non-alcoholic spirits over the festive season, and see if you notice the difference.